The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-10-21
PUBLIC LANDS.
Commissioner Sparks on the Operations Of
His Department in Preventing Frauds.

Commissioner Sparks on the Operations OF
His Department i'm Preventing Frauds.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15-Laud Commits
sioner Sparks in his annual report TO the
Secretary Of the Interior says, at the outset,
that he has no word TO recall that has
hitherto been uttered touching the misap-
preparations to which public lands have
been subjected through improvident laws
and inefficient methods of administration,
and to which they are still exposed under
the present wastcful and fraud-inspiring
systems Of disposal. Tue operations of the
past year, as previously. have been con-
Quoted under tue disCouragement Of
Inadequate appropriations. but with
the limited means at his disposal.
he says, results have been achieved
that confirm the early statements of the
vastness OF this field of reform, the con-
fines only of which have yet been fairly ex-
plored. The report shows that since March
4. 1885. 81, S4, 4Sl acres have been restored
tc the pnblic domain. The sales, entries.
and selections OF public land for the fiscal
year ended June 80 1857, embrace % II. 40
acres and Of Indian lands 1869 acres.
making total Of .. SIS, O3S acres, being al
increase over the year 1886 of
3..33.4'4 acres and an increase Of
Z
the fiscal year 1885. The receipts from the
dispossls of public lands are $40, Isl. sal and
from Indian lands 8. 4S4. 3ga-a total of S12,-
o6s. pa. being an increase as compared with
the year 1886 of s., a4S,72s and of S3,646 625
as compared with the fiscal year ISIS. To
this is to be added IS 81 received on ac-
count Of timber depredations and $12 1913 re-
celved for certified copies Of records fur
nished by the General Land Office, making
the total receipts for the year from all
sources 81, 2s90OS.
The report briefly reviews the work of
the Surveyors General Of Arizona, Cali
fornia and New Mexico in examining pri-
vate land claims. About forty claims in
New Mexico were examined and in nearly
every instance the Surveyor General
recommended their rejection principally on
the ground OF fraud or non compliance with
the law. Many were found to cover an
area several times as large as tSOse of the
On the. subject Of the forfeiture Of rail-
road land grants the Commissioner quotes
from his last annual report. and adds: Il
renew the recommendation that forfeiture
be declared in all cases in which the roads
were not completed within the time and in
the manner conditioned in the respective
grants
or fraudulent land entries, the Commits
sioner says that the Investigations of the
past year have been satisfactory and that
in no previous year has such effective WORK
been done. AS result 2,3l2 entries, COW
ering about $40, 0e acres were held for can
collation., and 1883 entries, covering about
10000 acres, We're cancelled for fraud.
One thousand and eleven cases of timber
derredstlons or timber trespasses. the re-
port continues have been reported on DUR
ing the year, involving a value in timber
and product therefrou amounting to So
I46. 935. recoverable to the United States.
The amount actually recovered during the
year through judgments, fines. etc. is
Sl2S,6i2. The wholesale destruction Of
public timber on numbered sections Of
public lands within the granted limits Of
railroads continues to an
extent.
The Commissioner asks for increased
help and an increased appropriation to
carry out the reforms required.